On Pro Football: This could be Mario’s super season

On Pro Football: This could be Mario’s super season

Published 5:30 am, Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Texans defensive end Mario Williams, center, led the team with 12 sacks last season.

Texans defensive end Mario Williams, center, led the team with 12 sacks last season.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Chronicle

On Pro Football: This could be Mario’s super season

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If Texans coach Gary Kubiak did not think Mario Williams could handle the pressure, he would not have put his Pro Bowl defensive end under the microscope recently.

“We hope Mario will play well enough to battle for the defensive-player-of-the-year award,” Kubiak said.

That’s a lofty expectation for Williams, especially since he hasn’t played on a team with a winning record. But team success translates into individual reward.

“To have that come from my coach means a lot,” Williams said Tuesday before the second day of the team’s conditioning program. “It means he believes in me and has a lot of faith in me.”

It goes without saying that Kubiak and his assistants expect Williams to have his best season. He became a premier player at his position over the last two seasons. Now they expect him to compete for the award that goes to the league’s best defensive player each year.

“Yeah, definitely,” Williams said when asked if he can win the award.

Defense needs to step up

Obviously, the Texans’ defense will have to improve. At times, the defense was terrible last season, especially on first down, in the red zone and attacking the quarterback — except for one player.

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Williams recorded 12 sacks, giving him 26 over the last two seasons. During that period, he ranks fourth in sacks behind Demarcus Ware (34) Jared Allen (30) and John Abraham (26.5).

Even more impressive is that Williams has accounted for 46.4 percent of his team’s sacks — more than any player in the league over the last two seasons. Imagine what he can do if he gets more help from teammates like tackle Amobi Okoye and ends Tim Bulman and Antonio Smith, who was signed to start on the other side.

Changes were made in the coaching staff that could benefit Williams. He progressed under defensive line coach Jethro Franklin, who was fired after the season and replaced by assistant head coach/defensive line Bill Kollar.

Kollar, a former defensive lineman and first-round pick, is one of the best in the league. His style is so demanding he’d make boot camp seem like a church picnic. It’ll be interesting to see how Williams reacts to Kollar.

The coaches want to get their four best linemen on the field. They prefer to keep Williams on the right side and let him rush in space against the left tackle, but they’ll be flexible depending on how the linemen play.

Frank Bush, who worked with the defensive line, was promoted to defensive coordinator. He wants his players to enter games knowing what’s expected of them, and he expects them to carry out their assignments vigorously.

“It’s just going to be a different mentality,” Williams said. “I know they’re (coaches) very hungry.”

Whatever it takes

On one play against Cleveland last season, Williams fired off the line of scrimmage and grabbed 240-pound running back Jamal Lewis as he was taking the handoff. Williams picked up Lewis and threw him down. That’s called rag-dolling in the NFL.

Williams said after the game that he told Franklin he was going to “go and read instead of read and go.”

Williams was reminded of that play and philosophy.

“It all depends on what Frank wants me to do,” he said. “That’s (firing off the ball) what I’ve been told. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”